A slip and fall accident can result in serious injuries that cause permanent disabilities. Head, neck and spinal cord injuries are common in slip and fall accidents as are fractures and broken bones. A fall can be a painful injury that disrupts your life and causes thousands of dollars in medical bills and lost wages.
If you are injured in a slip and fall accident, you may be entitled to receive compensation under Indiana’s premises liability laws. It is important that you contact an experienced Indiana premises liability attorney to discuss your legal options.
Sidewalk Falls
Sidewalks are common locations for falls. Snow and ice can cause slippery surfaces that are difficult to walk on without falling. Holes and cracks are hazards that can cause someone to fall. Property owners have the duty to ensure that people using their property are reasonably safe from hazards that can cause slips and falls, including sidewalks. Property owners should routinely inspect the sidewalks on their property to ensure they are safe and immediately take steps to warn people of hazards while correcting the problem.
To determine who is liable for a sidewalk slip and fall accident, it is important to determine who is responsible for maintaining the sidewalk. In some cases, that might be the owner of the property which the sidewalk crosses. In other cases, the party responsible for the sidewalk could be a government entity, such as the city or county. Once you determine who is liable for maintaining the sidewalk, you must then prove negligence.
A city, company or private person can only be held liable for a sidewalk slip and fall accident if you can prove that the party was negligent and the negligence led to your accident. The sidewalk must have been unreasonably safe, and the party must have known or should have known about the condition and failed to take action to correct the hazard to be liable for your damages.
Limits on Filing Lawsuits
If you are injured in a sidewalk slip and fall, you only have a short time to file a lawsuit seeking compensation. According to Indiana’s statute of limitations, you have two years from the date of the fall to file a personal injury lawsuit. Two years may seem like a long time, but your attorney will need as much time as possible to determine who is liable for maintaining the sidewalk and gathering evidence to prove negligence.
Furthermore, if the party is a government entity (i.e. city or county), you must file a Tort Claim Notice within 180 days of the accident or lose your right to file a lawsuit. Because you may not know who is liable for the sidewalk, it is important to contact a premises liability attorney immediately to protect your right to recover compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, pain, and suffering.
Call Our Personal Injury Attorney for More Information
If you have been injured in a slip and fall accident, our premises liability attorneys can help you file a claim to receive compensation for your injuries, losses, and damages.
Contact The Ken Nunn Law Office by telephone at 1-800-CALL-KEN or 1-800-225-5536 to request additional information and schedule your free consultation with an experienced premises liability attorney.
